April 6, Brasília, Brazil – Four Brazilian cities started today with the first training cycle of the Flagship Cities Program. Funded by the European Union, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM Americas) has selected 15 cities for the Flagship Cities group in Latin America. These cities were chosen for their track record in climate matters and, over a year, will participate in a series of training and mentoring sessions to advance the preparation, financing, and implementation of their local climate action projects.
“We are convinced that cities will be better prepared to promote climate projects and, above all, to access funding sources that lead to tangible actions in the lives of citizens,” emphasized Hélinah Cardoso, coordinator of the GCoM for the Americas. Cardoso highlighted the magnitude of this innovative alliance initiative during the opening session, which will undoubtedly contribute to the progress of cities.
The four Brazilian Flagship Cities – Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Serra Talhada – are part of the first training cycle, followed by five Spanish-speaking cities in the second cycle and six more cities in the third cycle. During each cycle, participants will have access to key concepts on climate financing and the development of bankable projects.
The main objective of these training and mentoring sessions is to ensure that all cities can develop their local project during the training, receiving personalized feedback in each session and making weekly progress to be ready to present their project to financing or technical assistance institutions.
Additionally, the technical teams of the Flagship Cities will have the opportunity to participate in a mentoring program with a group of institutions and international organizations recognized for their work on financing.
Each cycle consists of eight virtual meetings held biweekly. In addition to the training and mentoring offered by the GCoM team and ICLEI South America, the participating groups will be able to interact with professionals in the national and international climate finance field.
Rodrigo Corradi, Deputy Executive Secretary of ICLEI, expressed his satisfaction in being part of the initiative. “It is an honor for ICLEI to implement the climate finance training component for the flagship cities. These cities are already at the forefront of their local climate policy and will now receive this training and mentoring to further improve their ability to access available financial resources and apply them effectively in their public policies,” he concluded.
This initiative represents a unique opportunity for participating cities to exchange experiences and knowledge and advance in the fight against climate change. These 15 selected Flagship Cities are expected to lead the way toward a more sustainable future for the entire Latin American region.
About the Brazilian cities selected for the first cycle
The four Brazilian cities that are starting activities have made progress in their climate actions and are already fully compliant with the initiative, having received recognition medals for their adaptation and mitigation actions.
Belo Horizonte has implemented various measures to address the impact of climate change. The city has established a Climate Action Plan, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and increasing the city’s resilience. Additionally, it has promoted the creation of green areas and the implementation of clean technologies in public transport.
Rio de Janeiro has carried out various initiatives to address the impacts of climate change. The city has created a Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy. It has also implemented waste treatment and green area conservation programs.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, highlighted the importance of the city joining the Global Covenant of Mayors, as it allows the city to learn from other experiences to face the climate crisis. “We need to understand that the extraordinary events of climate change will no longer be extraordinary. They will be constant in our lives, so it is very important for the mayors of Brazil to join and embrace this agenda so that we can face this challenge together.”
The municipality of Salvador has also taken measures to address the impacts of climate change. The city has developed a Climate Action Plan that includes implementing renewable energy and promoting energy efficiency. Salvador has also carried out waste management and biodiversity conservation projects.
Bruno Reis, mayor of Salvador, emphasized that cities are increasingly suffering from the effects of climate change and need to act: “We, the mayors, have to invest more and more resources to face these changes. Therefore, this joint initiative with the European Union and other organizations is very important to help improve the qualifications of our technical teams, prepare them, and train them so that we can create various public policies that can mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Serra Talhada has carried out various initiatives to address the impact of climate change. The city has established a Climate Action Plan that promotes renewable energy and improves energy efficiency. The municipality has also implemented waste management and green area conservation programs.
Finally, Mayor Márcia Conrado highlighted that local governments need and value all the support that institutions like the GCoM and the European Union can provide. “Serra Talhada feels very honored to be the only small municipality participating at this moment, to receive this training that I am sure will contribute considerably to the training of our technicians.”
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